'I shall live': Immortality

Ovid ends his work with a series of deifications: Julius Caesar becomes a god; Augustus will become a god. This most allusive and transformative of texts apparently ends with a pat celebration of the Julian family.

An episode of the Epics of Rome podcast, hosted by Dr Rhiannon Evans, titled "'I shall live': Immortality" was published on May 14, 2014 and runs 50 minutes.

May 14, 2014 ·50m · Epics of Rome

0:00 / 0:00

Summary

Ovid ends his work with a series of deifications: Julius Caesar becomes a god; Augustus will become a god. This most allusive and transformative of texts apparently ends with a pat celebration of the Julian family. However, this is not the end at all, for Ovid actually completes his work with his own immortality: he will live through his work and thus go beyond death and also beyond the holders of political power. It is a confident statement of the transcendence of poetry. Yet nothing is stable in Ovid's world, and the final book also contains a lengthy speech by the philosopher Pythagoras, whose beliefs include the perpetual rebirth of souls into new bodies. Is this an attempt to give a theoretical underpinning to the epic? Or does it once again snatch the rug from under the reader's feet?! Copyright 2014 Rhiannon Evans / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Episode Description

Ovid ends his work with a series of deifications: Julius Caesar becomes a god; Augustus will become a god. This most allusive and transformative of texts apparently ends with a pat celebration of the Julian family. However, this is not the end at all, for Ovid actually completes his work with his own immortality: he will live through his work and thus go beyond death and also beyond the holders of political power. It is a confident statement of the transcendence of poetry. Yet nothing is stable in Ovid's world, and the final book also contains a lengthy speech by the philosopher Pythagoras, whose beliefs include the perpetual rebirth of souls into new bodies. Is this an attempt to give a theoretical underpinning to the epic? Or does it once again snatch the rug from under the reader's feet?!

Copyright 2014 Rhiannon Evans / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

Share this episode

Similar Episodes

17 Book 2 : Canto 49 - 51

Apr 22, 2026 ·13m

18 Book 2 : Canto 52 - 54

Apr 22, 2026 ·30m

19 Book 2 : Canto 55 - 57

Apr 22, 2026 ·17m

20 Book 2 : Canto 58 - 60

Apr 22, 2026 ·16m

21 Book 2 : Canto 61 - 63

Apr 22, 2026 ·17m

22 Book 2 : Canto 64 - 66

Apr 22, 2026 ·21m

Similar Podcasts

The Mahabharata by Vyasa: the epic of ancient India condensed into English verse by Romesh C Dutt Loyal Books The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India. Traditionally, the authorship of the Mahabharata is attributed to Vyasa. With more than 74,000 verses, Mahabharata is said to be the longest poem. Mahabharata tells the story of the epic Kurukshetra War and the fates of the cousin brothers Kauravas and the Pandavas. But more than that the Mahabharata contains much philosophical and devotional material, such as a discussion of the four "goals of life" or 'purusharthas'. The latter are enumerated as dharma (right action), artha (purpose), kama (pleasure), and moksha (liberation). (Introduction by om123) Mahabharata by Vyasa: The epic of ancient India condensed into English verse, The by Romesh C. Dutt (1848 - 1909) LibriVox The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India. Traditionally, the authorship of the Mahabharata is attributed to Vyasa. With more than 74,000 verses, Mahabharata is said to be the longest poem. Mahabharata tells the story of the epic Kurukshetra War and the fates of the cousin brothers Kauravas and the Pandavas. But more than that the Mahabharata contains much philosophical and devotional material, such as a discussion of the four "goals of life" or 'purusharthas'. The latter are enumerated as dharma (right action), artha (purpose), kama (pleasure), and moksha (liberation). (Introduction by om123) Quo Vadis by Henryk Sienkiewicz (1846 - 1916) LibriVox Sienkiewicz’s epic novel of ancient Rome finds the Empire at the height of her power and splendor, but struggling with the madness and cruelty of the Emperor Nero. A new religion is sweeping across the world, causing many Romans to wonder and leading many others to sacrifice everything for it. Yet, even as a great city burns and darkness threatens to overwhelm the age, hope is found in the love of the Roman tribune Marcus Vinicius for the beautiful Christian maiden Lygia, and in his journey toward his life’s true purpose (Introduction by D. Leeson). The Aeneid by Publius Vergilius Maro Loyal Books The Aeneid is a Latin epic written by Virgil in the 1st century BC that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who traveled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans. The first six of the poem’s twelve books tell the story of Aeneas’ wanderings from Troy to Italy, and the poem’s second half treats the Trojans’ ultimately victorious war upon the Latins, under whose name Aeneas and his Trojan followers are destined to be subsumed. The poem was commissioned from Vergil by the Emperor Augustus to glorify Rome. Several critics think that the hero Aeneas’ abandonment of the Cartheginian Queen Dido, is meant as a statement of how Augustus’ enemy, Mark Anthony, should have behaved with the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra.

URL copied to clipboard!